Friday, September 26, 2008

Has Draper's Blogwar Campaign Started?

Over the last three days I have noticed that there has been a dramatic increase in anonymous postings on this blog, full of bile and vitriol at everything Conservative. I wonder if Derek Draper has let loose his puppies of war. Just asking.

51 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Iain - please don't play the martyr. The Euroloons have started up in a similar vein on ContinuityIDS about the "EUSSR" clamping the fascist gag of repression against a plucky little Briton valiantly bringing the corrupt system down from within (you get the idea - etc etc ad nauseum).

I know the "It's your blog and you'll say as you will" arguments, but all the same it makes you - and more importantly us, our Party - look absurdly paranoid. It's probably just a few armchair Labourites roused by Gordon's speech to battle The Man by a few blog comments.

Be pleased by it - the more they waste their time here the fewer Labour leaflets they get out to the people.

What are you trying to say, that those interested in politics should ONLY be interested in the right hand side.

You complained about possible EU restrictions on bloggs, and are against the general concept of imposed restrictions. But here you are moderating a blogg, and complaining that those who freely disagree with you should be restricted.

They are not trolls, they are people interested in politics, but their politics isn’t blue – OK. Are you so arrogant, that you expect no one to ever disagree with you.

And it might shock you Iain, but there are as many who disagree with the Tories as disagree with Labour.

Furthermore, at least Lab/Libs don’t hide behind third party sites claiming to be independents such as the Tax Payers Alliance, Political betting and that awful Guido. All Tories sites, but Tory sites without hoisting a blue flag to indicate that fact.

Anonymous 3.02Don't misinterpret what I said. I said nothing about censoring. I have had comment moderation off for much of the last few days and haven't deleted anything. Although I have been sorely tempted.

All I was pointing to was Draper's announcement at the Labour conference and wondering if it was already being orchestrated.

Iain, Hardly rates as bile and vitriol compared with the (deserved) Labour-baiting over at Guido. And yes, it looks like there's a concerted effort of late by paid and amateur lefty spinmeisters (and such talent in the latter category, both Paul and Elsby bestowing their compelling insights) seeking to rubbish the Tories - in favour of voting, wait for it - ha! - Brown! Draper pissing way the JK Rowling cash?

The only particularly unlike you comment to have left was some old Tory perving over a political wife. No particular sign of a start of rebuttal operations.

Draper did not so much announce this idea as find that there was a groundswell from Labour bloggers that as in the case of the MSM the Tories have been getting away with a lot these days.

David Singleton of PR Week was at a meeting, as was I, and Tom Harris, and Sunny Hundal (panel), and Mark Hanson (LH)(panel) and Jag (MS), and Sunder (Fab) and lots of other and that bloke from Boris' TfL team too if you want a first hand account.

Iain - Anyone or any organisation taking on that slime ball Draper has to be extremely desperate - he's nothing useful or constructive to say and is best ignored - I for one are quite happy for you to take out the lefty squad - saves time having to read them!

I'm interested in the oliver drew comment. I've missed any particular stream of vitriol or abuse these last few days that sticks out from what Iain has in the past allowed even when moderation is in place, possibly through being busy and not reading the relevant threads. But if these were related, say, to Iain's review of Brown's speech, which (the review) was not a work of great insight or balance I'd not be surprised if these were what one would normally expect.

Anon said -And it might shock you Iain, but there are as many who disagree with the Tories as disagree with Labour....

Well that is obviously not true is it anony-prat as this government is below the levels of popularity experienced under the Joke Foot and now we don’t even get a laugh Iain is right to start noticing the nasty side of Brown which transmits to his sycophant inadequate helpers . Martin Bright reports into days New Statesman that the Brown briefing troops have been spreading poison in double doses at Manchester .The word “thug” competed with ”rebel” as the word of the conference . Damien Mc Bride is a shadowy figure operating the dark arts side of the Brown coin and the Brown attack machine easily has the resources to start a blog campaign ,,. His spending on spinners and bag carriers out does even the great liar himself and these anons are probably junior grovellers who , learning from their idols , Whelan , Draper and Mandy think the more of snivelling shit you are the better you get on.There is amore serious side to this than the bleating oh whiny anons . The Spectator mirrors the concern about Brown world , identifying the location where this is most toxic to the country, the treasury. In ten years of trench warfare with Blair, Brown has broken the dilithium crystal of the Enterprise of state . A senior source says it is ,“Riddled with cronyism and sycophancy “,

One more thing , I travel around annoying lefties and a fine sport it is but I make an argument and I put my name on it . So , as far as I can see do other Conservative bloggers .These creatures of the darkness are vile infestations and quite different

Iain Dale said... Anonymous, 3.05. Last time I looked, PoliticalBetting was run by a Liberal Democrat. rather undermines your point.

September 26, 2008 3:16 PM

You are truly amazing Iain, but don’t deny that The Tax Payers Alliance and Guido are Tory sites, but are ashamed to admit so. If Political betting is a Lib site, that is news to me.

And lets be honest, do you honestly think the Labour party give a flying fig what you put on this site… don’t kid yourself.

In fact it’s a shame that millions more don’t visit this site, just read the nasty vitriol spleen laden tripe your hard core Tory types rant. This site and many other Tory bloggs exposes your nasty streak, that is still well and truly running in Tory ranks..OK

Anonymous 3.16. Glad to educate you on who runs Political Betting. Guido and TPA are indeed right wing, but hardly Tory. They both give the Tories a hard time quite often.

You think the Labour Party don't give a flying fig about this site? Hmmmm. Why is that that I was told that they print it off every day, and why is it that several Cabinet Ministers tell me they read it every day?

It's always been the case though that Tories passed themselves off as something else. I vividly recall as an SDP and then eventually LibDem canvasser how often a householder said something like "we're not interested in politics" or "we're just in favour of us" - we would with some confidence put them in the Conservative column. Similarly, we often used to get "independents" standing in local elections where I lived, who could be firmly relied on to vote with the Tories once elected.

"As a lifelong tory, even I can see how much better Brown is at managing this country and the economy. When times get tough, we really need Gordon, not some novice like Cameron (I have it on good authority that Brown's speech was directed at Cameron and not Miliband - Cameron was yet again misinformed)

Reasons why New Labour are better:

1) They just are, please vote for them!2) They...."

Oh wait, it seems I can't work out what the rest of this post should be as Draper's instructions seem to be a bit smudged at the end. A bit like his brain really.

I wouldn't worry about Labour shills. They are so boringly obvious. It would be somewhat less boring if they had the nous to make their trolls entertaining, but they don't.

I think Labour looked at the opinion polls and saw a future of years of Tory Rule. Something most observers of this blog would welcome. But it is clear that Labour are realising that the current situation is deadly serious. If Derek Draper is leading the Blogging `rapid rebuttal unit' for Labour i would be a rather worried Tory. I first met Derek in student days - he is a clever man with a real political antennae. Blogging should remain the open and vibrant medium that it is - and Derek's participation will be a good thing - particularly if we get a few more facts.

Hello, anon (yet another) @3.27, sorry I haven't replied to you sooner, I've been out bashing peasants and abducting their pre-school age children to work unpaid in my satanic cotton mill down t'road.

My word, it's hard work living up to that Conservative nastiness, so now I'm going to kick a couple of footmen and put my feet up, whilst I watch the local hunt meet outside on the ancestral lawn.

Of course, now they can't hunt the foxes, dammit, they're forced to use a couple of wrinklies from the Old Folks Home down in the village - they can get up a heck of a speed once you offer them more than 1 meal a week.

Bring it on! Let's assume that you are right, does it really matter? Or is it a very good thing? My view? The latter. None of the lefty stuff stands up to rational argument so lets have the debate. Remember, socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried. And more people have been murdered in it name than any other credo. And it's has brought enduring misery to many more.

well the first two posters here would seem to be straight from the RRU...

It's no wonder that they'd come here though, what with Iain's 'no proper gratuitous swearing' rule. Not saying that I disagree with the rule per se, it can get a bit wearing to have to wade through the thirty comments on Guido calling you a c--- to get to the one that makes a point. But the [ahem] 'robust' attitude there to debate does seem to keep most of the trolls away...

For Draper and Co. they should consider that under English law, for purposes of libel litigation, it allows for the real identity behind an online pseudonym to be discovered. It is also extremely easy to identify 'anonymous said' headings!

Please carry on, should be your message Iain.

Because they are very likely, indeed it can be expected that one of the bunker boys in the bunker kindergarten will go 'over the top' and let us not forget that if that individual is caught, and admits to being part of a government plot====that would be the end of that government and Draper and all.

I have to agree with your sentiment Iain. I have noticed a proliferation of left wing propaganda on various blogs in the last few days.I wonder if leftie MPs were sent away from the Labour conference with the order, return to your constituencies and prepare to be columnists.

ID said.- "increase in anonymous postings on this blog, full of bile and vitriol"

Nothing to do with Draper, more to do with responses to the bile and vitriolic comments of Tories to your posts since the PM’s speech. If this is just a talking head Tory blog having a spiteful old natter amongst yourselves like CHouse, then just say so, and I for one, won’t bother to check in and make an occasional comment, which incidentally has never been foul or dirty minded like some here. No loss to me, but less clicks for you.

ID said -"Don't misinterpret what I said. I said nothing about censoring. I have had comment moderation off for much of the last few days and haven't deleted anything. Although I have been sorely tempted".

I've been having a browse over the comments from the last few days, (and came across two together somewhere on a recent thread, that have been deleted) looking for the bile and venom from the (Lab) Anons. and can't find any worthy of your annoyance. Can you post them up, so we know what you're on about? I've found a number of strong challenges or rebuttals to some comments and your postings, but the most unpleasant have mostly been from named regulars like newmania and rex.

Politics is always going to arouse strong emotions, one mans truth is another mans trolling. Certainly the political fever caused by thee collapsing Labour leadership and its styming of total collapse by a not entirely rubbish conference and the upcoming Tory conference has dded to it. But please labour supporters, Iain Dale is a Tory MP, he not likely to go 'Ed Ball is gr8'. Saying that the strength of witty right wingers on he blogosphere amongst hip youngsters, as witnessed by IDs invitation to the Oxford Union would explain an attempt to redo Excalibur....

Gordon Brown has an even bigger PR budget and army of spin doctors than Tony Blair.

Why then does he need Dolly and his army of blogosphere poodles?

Surely he can't be feeling insecure......?

Are there actually that many literate people in the country? Thanks to Labour's appalling record in education methinks not. (N.B. Troll comments will be easy to spot as they will be full of typos and poor grammar.

I'm not sure if Draper has any hand in this but the noise from the Troll Army has certainly increased recently - not just here; its been noticed by other bloggers too.

Personally, I believe politics generally is better for it. We on the right shouldn't be having conversations just with ourselves. Having said that, I tend to discount heavily those posts beginning "anonymous said..."

Why is it that so many on the left don't feel able (or willing) to put a name to their words?

Seems a symbolic that Dolly returns at the end.Brown , as desperate to retain power as he was to get it , uses his wife as a prop to introduce the most puerile and schmaltzy speech of his life. Brown the supposed man of substance making a grotesque of himself on stage, mutating into a cheesier version of Blair , while in the shadows third rate thugs and mafioso like Whelan and Draper bring proceedings to an inevitable, ignominious end.

of course you fail to grasp that iain dale is in fact a draper plant. he has been writing this blog for xxx years (i'm sure somebody knows - i don't) under deep cover and rather than being anonymous he has made up an entire fictional persona; which now exteds to claiming (under an assumed name - but we knew it was you) to be a conservative mp.